Cauz we've seen this old story posted and re-posted by some Moran over and over. There was an X 17.2 flare in 2003 which is most likely when this article was written. Here's a list of the most powerful X-ray flares since 1978 (none of them are from this current solar cycle 24):

=========New Experimental Products Coming:On December 11 (tentative), SWPC will introduce two new forecast products titled the 3-Day Forecast and the Forecast Discussion. These new products will: be available twice a day at 0030 and 1230 UTC; provide space weather information in two separate formats, abbreviated and detailed; and use NOAA Space Weather Scale information. Examples of these new products are available to familiarize our users at [link to www.swpc.noaa.gov] (the concise, 1-page summary) and [link to www.swpc.noaa.gov] (the in-depth space weather analysis for the technical user). These two products will supplement the existing product suite and no current products will be discontinued.

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And always, he fought the temptation to choose a clear, safe course, warning: "That path leads ever down into stagnation."

=========New Experimental Products Coming:On December 11 (tentative), SWPC will introduce two new forecast products titled the 3-Day Forecast and the Forecast Discussion. These new products will: be available twice a day at 0030 and 1230 UTC; provide space weather information in two separate formats, abbreviated and detailed; and use NOAA Space Weather Scale information. Examples of these new products are available to familiarize our users at [link to www.swpc.noaa.gov] (the concise, 1-page summary) and [link to www.swpc.noaa.gov] (the in-depth space weather analysis for the technical user). These two products will supplement the existing product suite and no current products will be discontinued.

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Quoting: madajs

Very helpful madajs, thanks, I liked the in-depth in particular.

Spread the word, change the collective conscious......THERE IS MORE THAN ENOUGH OF EVERYTHING TO GO AROUND

When you are undisciplined, the universe is extremely forgiving and when you are disciplined, the universe is extremely generous. Me

One doesn't discover new lands without consenting to lose sight, for a very long time, of the shore. Andre Gide

=========New Experimental Products Coming:On December 11 (tentative), SWPC will introduce two new forecast products titled the 3-Day Forecast and the Forecast Discussion. These new products will: be available twice a day at 0030 and 1230 UTC; provide space weather information in two separate formats, abbreviated and detailed; and use NOAA Space Weather Scale information. Examples of these new products are available to familiarize our users at [link to www.swpc.noaa.gov] (the concise, 1-page summary) and [link to www.swpc.noaa.gov] (the in-depth space weather analysis for the technical user). These two products will supplement the existing product suite and no current products will be discontinued.

=========New Experimental Products Coming:On December 11 (tentative), SWPC will introduce two new forecast products titled the 3-Day Forecast and the Forecast Discussion. These new products will: be available twice a day at 0030 and 1230 UTC; provide space weather information in two separate formats, abbreviated and detailed; and use NOAA Space Weather Scale information. Examples of these new products are available to familiarize our users at [link to www.swpc.noaa.gov] (the concise, 1-page summary) and [link to www.swpc.noaa.gov] (the in-depth space weather analysis for the technical user). These two products will supplement the existing product suite and no current products will be discontinued.

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Quoting: madajs

Thank you for that Madajs

The thing that hath been,is That which shall be;and that which is done is that which shall be done:and there is no new thing under the Sun. Ecclesiastes 9:1

“One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we’ve been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We’re no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us. It’s simply too painful to acknowledge, even to ourselves, that we’ve been taken. Once you give a charlatan power over you, you almost never get it back.” – Carl Sagan

Anyone willing to wager that 1610 once it reaches the South-West limb(or just beyond it)that it will pop something off!?

NiNz Magic Corner and all.

I'd give it a 8/10 probability.

Quoting: Spittin'Cesium

I'm betting backside west

“One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we’ve been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We’re no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us. It’s simply too painful to acknowledge, even to ourselves, that we’ve been taken. Once you give a charlatan power over you, you almost never get it back.” – Carl Sagan

I thought maybe it would be a good idea to outlay what it is the VHF Riometer measures and how so I have snipped a little for the lurkers -

Snipped -

'What is a riometer?A riometer is a passive scientific instrument used to observe ionospheric absorption, particularly absorption at altitudes less than 110 km caused by electron precipitation. The word riometer stands for Relative Ionospheric Opacity Meter'.

'How does a Riometer Work?Riometers measure the strength of radio noise originating from stars or galaxies and arriving at the earth after passing through the ionosphere - The sky is filled with stars and galaxies that emit a broad spectrum of radio noise and the noise is strong enough to be picked up using sensitive receiving equipment,this noise varies on a predictable basis as the Earth rotates.

Depending on the amount of ionization present, radio signals passing through the ionosphere may suffer losses (or become weaker) in a process called absorption. Imagine the ionosphere as a set of louvers. If it is disturbed, the louvers close and signals arriving from outside of the earth's vicinity do not pass through very well. If the ionosphere is "quiet," the louvers are open fully and signals pass through easily,if there were no sources of absorption in the earth's atmosphere, the cosmic noise measured by the riometer would be exactly the same at corresponding times during each successive Sidereal day. The "Quiet Day Curve" is this expected, or "no-absorption" diurnal noise level. (In this context,"quiet" means that the ionosphere is undisturbed by solar events.) Any difference between the actual measurement and the Quiet Day Curve is attributed to ionospheric absorption'

OMG! The Myans were correct! The end is almost here! The final sign came today.......End of the Twinkie! I can't take it! Oh the pain!I was only able to find 3 boxes today!Acccckkkk! Help!

Quoting: Anonymous Coward 27892780

You can't freeze them but they never go bad and they burn like a log. I bet they're radiation proof and one of the last superfoods we'll need when tshtf. Tptb are taking away our vital resources.LOL

“One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we’ve been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We’re no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us. It’s simply too painful to acknowledge, even to ourselves, that we’ve been taken. Once you give a charlatan power over you, you almost never get it back.” – Carl Sagan